Erebus

"That monster... isn't a Shadow. It's the accumulated malice that came from the hearts of countless living people. All of them, deep down, are calling Nyx."

—Fuuka Yamagishi, Persona 3 FES

Erebus (エレボス, Erebosu) is the grand manifestation of humanity's grief and negative emotion in Persona 3 FES: The Answer. A large, dual-faced monstrosity, its very purpose of existence is to contact Nyx in order to bring forth The Fall.

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In Greek mythology, Erebus was the son of a primordial god, Chaos, and represented the personification of darkness and shadow, which filled all the corners and crannies of the world. He was the offspring of Chaos alone. He was the brother of Nyx, and fathered Aether and Hemera with her, according to Hesiod (c. 700 BC). Roman writer Hyginus (c. AD 1) described Erebus as the father of Geras, the god of old age.

Erebus is the final boss of the playable epilogue of Persona 3 FES, titled The Answer.

After reuniting the separated keys needed to travel through time, Aigis decided to go back to the time where the protagonist performs the miracle of sealing Nyx. Metis questions the protagonist's reasons for doing so, as Nyx herself is not hostile or malevolent. It is revealed that, in actuality, the protagonist was trying to seal Nyx away from Erebus.

Erebus is the manifestation of humanity's grief and negative emotion. By coming in contact with Nyx, it can awaken her, thus bringing the Fall. Erebus constantly tries to break the seal: the protagonist, now turned into a statue and, in effect, a bound between Nyx and humanity.

However, Erebus' effort has no effect, despite trying to destroy the seal again and again. Noticing SEES's presence, Erebus changed his target to Aigis. Because Aigis now shares the same unique ability as the protagonist, Erebus hopes to use her as a weapon to break the seal.

Not wanting to give up, SEES engages Erebus, but knowing that even after they defeat Erebus, he will reanimate, as long as humanity wishes for the coming of Nyx. Realizing this, the remaining members of SEES swore to help the protagonist bear the burden by making the most out of their own lives. Aigis would later make a vow, hoping to change the world someday, so the protagonist may be released from his bonds.

Erebus appears again in the Sea of Souls, fully reformed. Elizabeth, not wanting to do damage to the realm of the collective unconscious, teleports them to the moon and overwhelms it with Thanatos, destroying it with a single strike. Elizabeth laments that Erebus will once again fully reform in a year, and she would have to destroy it again. She then leaves on a journey to find a way to destroy Erebus for good so she can free the Persona 3 protagonist from the great seal.

Having no particular elemental immunities, Erebus can be taken on with nearly any combination of party members. It is capable of a wide variety of damage-dealing attacks. When it uses its signature move, Dark Embrace, it becomes more vulnerable to attacks but also switches its moveset towards inflicting ailments or instant kills. All party members are to go all-out in doing damage to it - if Erebus gets damaged enough while charging it will cancel Dark Embrace and be stunned for a turn. When it drops to half health, Erebus will begin using the ultimate-tier single target elemental skills in its normal state.

Since there is no New Game Plus for The Answer, the player can go liberal with all of the items they have.